The tag feeding apparatus of this invention is a variation of that disclosed in my co-pending application filed Dec. 8, 1975, Ser. No. 638,757, entitled METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR FEEDING TAGS and issued as U.S. Pat. No. 4,038,922 on Aug. 2, 1977. This application is a Continuation-In-Part of my aforesaid, earlier filed application. The machine disclosed herein utilizes the same concept of separating tags one at a time from a stack and utilizing a movable arm with a gripping device on it to pick up the separated tags and deliver them one at a time to a position of application to a bag or other container.
However, rather than employing a reciprocating plate type of device to separate tags one at a time, this invention utilizes a buckling device which is particularly effective to separate tags made from relatively thin paper, such as the type commonly applied to feed bags. The buckling device is operable to buckle the leading end of the first tag in a stack to a position where it is free from engagement by a retaining member for pickup by delivery means of some kind. Known prior art machines have been unsatisfactory for separating and delivering printed tags of relatively thin, paper stock. The "buckling" principle utilized in this invention overcomes these problems, and has proven to operate particularly successfully in applications requiring the separation of thin, paper tags.